Mia's POV
Letty had returned home as suddenly as she had vanished. Something in her had shifted. She seemed down, depressed. Something had happened between Dom and her in the DR. Whatever it was it was telling very plainly on Letty. She was anxious, restless, her foot tapping when she sat, her fingers rapping on tables. Even when we talked she seemed removed. Her eyes, once filled with fight, were now dulled with a pain she didn't seem to be able to vocalise or rather want to vocalise.
I came home from my twelve hour shift that Wednesday and stood for a second in the driveway, watching as she stood bent over the engine of that goddamn curse of a car. Her arms were spotted with grease and her hair was falling over her face. From what I could see of her face a sad smile rested on her lips like what she was doing was making her happy for the wrong reasons.
I headed into the house after a busy day on the wards. Carefully I made chips and steak. My mind was half lingering on Letty. What was going on with them? Normally when she returned home she'd natter about their most recent heist. I'd seen the news a couple of days ago and there had been a story about an oil tank explosion, immediately I'd known it had been them. Only they could pull off something on that scale and destroy the entire place doing it. Yet she hasn't mentioned it, barely breathed a word about the DR as if what had happened there couldn't ever be mentioned.
Heading to the open door I called for Letty. I didn't like going into the garage because it brought to mind far too many memories of my Father. I missed him still, even after nine years. Time doesn't exactly heal all wounds even though that's what everyone tells you.
Letty's POV
Mia calling my name broke my focus. I sighed and tore myself away from my task. I was slightly surprised she was already home. It could hardly be six already.
Mia had dinner sitting on the dining room table and the smell of steak wafted towards me, inviting me in. We said Grace together before lapsing into a comfortable silence.
"How was work today?" I asked Mia.
Mia frowned and mused over her answer carefully. "Busy, like always. I'm kind of exhausted now." She seemed to ponder over something for a moment before asking, "What did you do today?"
"I went to Harry's paid for the parts I ordered, ordered some more. Met Hector on my way out, talked about street racing. He was saying they still run on Fridays in the same place."
"You for going on Friday?" Mia asked in mild interest as she raised an eyebrow at me.
I nodded. "Yeh my car will hopefully be here tomorrow."
"I'll come with you. I haven't been in a while," Mia insisted with a grin.
While Mia had never enjoyed being in the drivers seat to the same extent that the rest of us always had, she did love watching the races. Often we got her to hold the money for us or count it. I always felt like the main thing for Mia was seeing everyone else happy.
"Did you ever go without us?" I joked.
"Yeh a few times. The driving ain't as good as it once was though," she admitted as she started clearing up.
I helped her and as we did the dishes she turned to me. "You remember our first street race?"
"Yeh Dom wiped out right next to me," I nodded as I dried the dishes.
Mia shook her head as she recalled it. "You know, until it came to you Dom was always so cool."
I laughed, my husky laugh lingered in the air for a few seconds. Then I realised I wasn't entirely sure what Mia had meant. "How'd you mean?"
"Dom was so cool in school remember? He used to walk down the corridor and all eyes would wind up staring at him. Then that night as he pulled up to the racing line he saw this girl standing there. Probably the only girl there who wasn't throwing herself at him. Dom couldn't resist this girl especially when she smirked at him. You presented a challenge to him and he had to conquer it. He had to prove to himself that it was still possible for him to get any girl he wanted. Anyways he lost his focus and wiped out right next to the girl he had been trying to impress." Mia smirked on the last sentence. "I've never seen Dom so upset about hurting another person in his life."
Rolling my eyes, I nodded in agreement. Dom had apologised countless times for that night. I was stubborn and refused to listen to apologies time and time again so I often shut him up by ignoring him or kissing him.
"I did more than forgive him." I laughed as I thought about it. I'd ended up married to the guy who could have killed me, funny how it works sometimes.
"It used to be all about the cars," Mia said with a smile, "It's why all of you were so into it. It was all about American muscle and pure, simple adrenaline."
"It was simpler back then," I said.
We drifted into silence. I thought about the races whilst trying not to think about Dom and I at the races and our saying, "I live my life a quarter mile at a time." I'd gotten through every other time Dom had left me by not thinking about him and I'd spent the last two days thinking about him. Internally my resolve strengthened and I gathered my head together and decided not to think about him.
My resolve broke about three hours later when I went to our bedroom and everything in it reminded me of him. Maybe it was okay to grieve a little this time, I mean we were married now so it was different. Lying in the bed I cuddled his pillow and thought about all the things we'd been through together. I couldn't think of what I'd done that he'd want to leave me.
Our last day together had been the oil heist for the people of the DR. In some ways Dom saw himself as a Robin Hood type character, giving the people what they needed by taking from the those who had excess. I'd always admired that about him.
That heist had been an adrenaline rush entirely. Before I'd slid out the window of his Charger I had kissed him. I made a habit of kissing him before these things because you never knew how it was going to end up. I never wanted him to think I didn't care about him.
The second I'd slid out the window my focus had been on getting the tanks split up so we could get away. It had been a terrifying adrenaline fuelled experience that was etched into my memory.
A harsh jolt to the left made me lose my footing on top of the truck and I fell. Grappling wildly my fingers just latched onto the ladder on the next tanker and I gripped onto it with every ounce of strength I possessed. The metallic clink of my hammer rang in the air as it escaped from my belt. A sigh of relief coursed through me. I was just grateful that it hadn't been me.
I glanced to my right to see Dom driving beside me. His eyes were wide and had darkened in colour as he watched me holding onto the ladder. Quickly I found my balance and mentally prepared myself for the jump I was about to make. I needed to get back into his car. The last words snapped into the synced up earpieces had warned us we were running out of road. As far as I was concerned this was not going to be my last ever heist.
"Spray that hitch!" Dom ordered as he drove. His eyes flicked back between me and the road. His concentration split but I could see the desperation on his face to both pull off the heist and to keep me safe.
"l don't have a hammer!" I shouted over the noise of the truck and the roar of Dom's engine. Maybe he hadn't noticed.
"Just do it!" His hardened tone told me not to argue.
Without thinking in a blind panic I did as I was told. How was he expecting this to work? Even whatever was left of this spray wouldn't be enough to fully break the hitch between the tankers. However I knew by the look in Dom's eyes he had a plan. One he was certain was going to work.
"Hold on! Hold on!" His warning lingered heavily in the air.
"No shit!" I muttered under my breath. What else did he expect me to do?
"Hold on to something tight!" Dom flicked the steering wheel one full turn in. The resounding clank of the metal of Dom's bonnet connecting with the hitch rang through the air. The hitch snapped cleanly. That couldn't have worked if we'd planned to do that.
"Letty! Give me your hand!" Dom shouted reaching his arm out the window. I stretched out my hand to grasp his hand but I was falling short. I simply couldn't reach far enough.
"l can't reach!" I told him in slight desperation. Maybe he'd pull closer.
"You got to jump!"
The brakes of the truck screeched and Dom's car was soon sped far beyond me. I closed my eyes ready to pray for my salvation. For forgiveness for all that I'd done wrong in my life. When I opened my eyes again Dom was driving along beside the truck. This time determination was plain across his face.
"Jump! Letty, jump!" Dom's hand was stretched back out the window. Drawing one sharp breath I prepared myself again to jump. "I've got you!" His promise was the push I needed to jump. I knew he'd be there when I jumped now. I'd be safe. Perfectly safe if I just trusted myself enough to jump.
I jumped and Dom's hand grasped mine tightly. I landed on the bonnet of his car with a bang. Pain radiated through my chest but adrenaline allowed me to ignore it well. With my right hand I started grasping for the open window on the passengers side. With my hand tightly gripped onto the windscreen pillar I pulled myself into the car. Falling into the seat I sat back. We were running out of road.
Behind us I caught sight of the gas truck rolling downwards. It was engulfed with flames heading straight for us. Even though it was far enough away not to inspire panic when Dom turned the car around so we were facing it I found it hard not to panic. Especially when all Dom did was rev so the back end of the car swung wildly from side to side. He wasn't really going to drive straight for it, was he? After everything else he'd done today I had to admit it wouldn't have surprised me.
"Dom. . ." I began cautiously. I was met with a concentrated silence as he continued to rev.
"Dom?" I queried slightly anxious that he didn't know what he was doing. Was he trying to kill me? Us?
Panic engulfed me as he continued to ignore me. My heart was thudding in my chest. I was going to die today!
"Dom!" I yelled.
My sudden shout startled Dom into action and he drove straight for the flaming tanker. Swiftly he drove under it and despite being slightly anxious I was forced to admire his precision. If he'd been a moment earlier or later we would have been goners.
Dom stopped the car to watch as the tanker rolled over the side of the cliff. Again I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths to steady myself. Relief was coursing through me. I was just lucky to be alive. We were lucky to be alive. Adrenaline had pulled us through that heist emphasising to me that if we could make it through that we could make it through anything.